Revelatory musings

I'm sensing a reoccurring theme here: England tends to put out some damn good music. This summer has seen some great Brit-rock releases. First Keane, and now Muse, who hit it massive in the US in 2004 with their epic, hugely successful album Absolution, accompanied by hundreds of major performances across America. Muse is back in action with Black Holes and Revelations, a more politically-driven, harder rocking and varied album than their previous three efforts have seen. \nIf you're not familiar with Muse, they can roughly be described as Radiohead, Queen, Rufus Wainwright and Black Sabbath rolling down a hill, fighting to the death. Regardless of their influences, Muse has a sound of their own; and this sound is very hard to channel into one coherent label, so I'll spare you that. \nThe album's opener "Take a Bow" kicks things off with a majestic synth line that flows into a very frantic, politically-charged song. Also politically-oriented is the short "Soldier's Poem," a very melodic ballad written from the perspective of a soldier at war. This is a very beautiful track that is a breather from all the rocking out that this album encompasses.\n"Supermassive Black Hole" has single-material written all over it. This song is very danceable, dirty and robotic, and singer Matthew Bellamy implements his high-key falsetto vocals freely on this one. "Assassin" is another rocker, very 80's metal sounding, with Bellamy's belting vocal delivery piercing the ears as much as the guitars do.\n"City of Disillusion" is by far the most ambitious and epic track on the album. Variety leaps and abounds here, with Middle Eastern strings, angular guitars, dirty synth and horns accompanying Bellamy's beautiful vocals.\nMuse is pop, rock, classical and electronica with all the calculations done correctly. Organization and song structure take control instead of the clusterfuck approach, yet variety is very present here. Shifting from heavy to poppy to somber to mellow to powerful without taking a breath, Muse incorporates all emotions in their songs, and are relentless in their efforts without being too inaccessible in doing this.\nI'm sorry, but Muse can do no wrong, honestly. Black Holes and Revelations may not be as memorable or may not have as many sing-a-longs as its predecessor Absolution did, but it still rocks out and does not disappoint. Muse continues to impress, and no one can escape the wrath of Bellamy's powerful voice. Don't let any prior expectations you've had control your overall experience with this album.